Polo-Essential-Tips

1 ESSENTIAL TIPS Justo del Carril Editor Justo del Carril Art Director George Habbaki Production Controller Sonia Taylor Karina Monti Photographs Snoopy Productions Barbara Menendez Justo Publishing Book 4 5 Contents 9. Aiming and Hitting 1. Aiming History of the Game 2. Hitting – Tips to Keep in Mind 1 Introduction 3. Position of the Ball 4. Understanding the Different Kinds 1. Clothing and Equipment of Shots: back shot, tail shot, open 1. Essential Equipment back shot, near side back shot, neck 2. Proper Clothing shot, near side shot 3. Players’ Accessories 5. How to Turn the Ball 4. Equipment Maintenance 5. Horse Equipment 10. The Hook 1. Understanding the Hook 2. The Mallet 1. The Mallet 11. The Bump 2. What to Look For in a Mallet 1. Understanding the Bump 3. The Grip 12. The Positions 1. Understanding the Grip 1. Understanding the Positions on 2. Grip Pressure the Field: Player #1, Player #2, 3. Grip Size Player#3, Player#4 4. Testing your Grip 5. The Sling 13. The Throw-in 1. Understanding the Throw-in 4. Carrying your Mallet – Wrong Ways of Carrying Your Mallet 14. The Knock-in – Right Ways of Carrying Your Mallet 1. Understanding the Knock-in 5. The Reins 15. The Train 1. How to Hold the Reins 1. Understanding the Train 6. The Whip 16. Penalty Shots 1. How to Carry the Whip – Understanding Penalty 4 – Understanding Penalties 2 and 3 7. The Stirrups – Ideal Position in Attack 1. Leather Stirrups – Understanding Penalty 1 2. Stirrup Length 17. The Foul 8. The Swing 1. Fouling is Not That Bad I. Swing Definition – The Setup 18. Quick Reminder . – The Finish 1. Last Minute Tips to Remember 2. Rotation – Sticking Ball Drill 4 5 6 7 HISTORY OF THE GAME any nations from modern day Iran to Mongolia claim that their Mforefathers invented the sport. The earliest known record is around 600 BC., with Persian noblemen engaged in a sport which is intricately described in old text, making polo the oldest team sport in the world. Persian military prowess took its armies throughout the lands of Central Asia, spreading their skill and coordination. Polo was brought to the West from India during the 19th Century when the offi- cer class of the British Army began playing the game. olo has changed over the centuries. Today the sport is much safer Pthan the rough-and-ready contest of the past. There are more rules and better organization, but what has not changed is its elit- ist nature. Polo conjures up images of high society mixing to enjoy afternoons of chukkas on the lawns at Windsor, (polo’s smartest address) and the lush green pampas of Argentina. ven though it has traditionally been played by the landed Egentry, polo has become so socially desirable that the sport’s high expenses are often sponsored by international companies and their luxury brands. 6 7 Introduction Polo, the sport of kings and the king of sports. It is elegant, exclu- sive and dangerous. But, like many other sports, it is also becoming more popular. More and more people want to give it a try. If you are one of those people, this book will help you get started, learn the basics of the game and hopefully help you become a better player. THE PLAYERS Each team consists of four mounted players. Player Number 1 is expected to score the goals and carry out an offensive position. Number 2 is also an offensive player, but has to be more aggressive with the responsibility of the defensive plays of the opponents. Number 3 is the pivot player, and is usually the long ball hitter and playmaker who takes the penalty shots for the team. The number 4, or back, is the defensive player whose primary function is to guard the goal and keep the opponents from scoring. Each player in polo is rated with a handicap. This system is organized and maintained by regional and national committees of different polo associations. Players are rated with a handicap from -2 to 10. The higher the handicap, the better the player. A rating of 10 goals is the pinnacle of polo prowess. The term goal is a players’ rating , not to be confused with how many goals he or she will score in a match. The four players’ handicaps are totaled to arrive at the team handicap. Four 3 goal players make a 12 goal team. A player’s handicap is based on horseman- ship, quality of horses, hitting, team play, and game sense. THE FIELD The playing field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide, the approximate area of nine football fields. The playing field is carefully maintained with closely mowed turf, providing a safe and fast surface. The goal posts are set 8 yards apart on each end of the field. Sideboards that are 8 to 11 inches high line the sidelines, THE EQUIPMENT Mallet shafts are made from rotan manau, which provides flexibility, and most mallet heads are made from wood of the tipa tree. The mallets come in lengths of 48 to 54 inches and selection is made according 8 9 to the height of the pony being played. The ball is struck with the side of the mallet head, not with the end. The ball is made from bamboo, willow root, or synthetic materials. It measures 3 1/2 inches in diameter and weighs about 4 1/2 ounces. All players must wear protective helmets with a chinstrap. Some players wear face masks and knee pads. The mounts are provided with bandages on the front, and sometimes rear legs. The polo ponies will have their tails braided or tied to minimize interference in making various shots. THE GAME Play commences when a mounted umpire bowls the ball between the players who line up opposite each other at center field. The game consists of six chukkers, or periods, each lasting seven minutes. Play is continuous and is only stopped for penalties, broken tack (equipment), or injury to a horse or player. The object is to score goals by hitting the ball between the goal posts, no matter how high in the air. If the ball goes wide of the goal, the defensive team is awarded a free knock-in from where the ball crossed the end line, thus putting the ball back into play. Teams will switch ends after every goal to minimize any wind, turf or sun advantage that may exist. There are two mounted umpires who officiate the match while a referee on the sidelines makes all final deci- sions concerning penalties or infractions of the rules. Penalty shots can be taken from the spot of the foul, from mid-field or from 30, 40 or 60 yards from the goal. THE MOUNT Today, most polo mounts stand around 15 hands, or five feet at the shoulder, and are as fast as racehorses. The term “pony” is a holdover from the sport’s earliest days, when less powerful horses were used. A polo pony has got to run as fast as he can, but he has also got to be able to stop, turn and start up again, for seven minutes straight. As far as animals go, the polo pony has got to be the best athlete of them all. Each pony plays one or, at the most, two chukkers, so players usually need six or seven mounts. A collection of polo ponies is called a string. England, Argentina, Australia and the USA are the countries where polo is played most prominently, but in reality it is played in over 150 countries around the world, including the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Egypt – not forgetting India and Pakistan, of course. 8 9 10 11 Clothing & Equipment 10 11 12 13 1. CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT 1.1 Essential Equipment Helmets The two most common types of helmet are those with a protective mask which keeps balls and mallets from hitting your face, and those without a mask. (Be sure that you buy or have a helmet that satisfies the standard method of impact test and performance requirements for polo helmets.) 12 13 Knee guards They provide good protection against bumps, mallet hooks, etc. Use them all the time as you never know when you will get hit Boots Choose boots that are comfort- able and strong. They should be brown and knee high. 14 15 1. CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT 1.2. Proper Clothing Practice t-shirts Always carry at least three different colored t-shirts for practice games so as to be able to recognize your teammates. White pants Usually, white jeans are worn, but you can use white britches or any other kind of riding pants, as long as they are white. This is part of the strong tradition of polo. Game t-shirts You should always have four t- shirts, one for each teammate, with the position number on the back. It is recommended to have an extra t-shirt with no number in case one is ruined or you need to replace an injured player. Chaps Chaps can be used when working the horses and for practice games. 14 15 1. CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT 1.3. Players’ Accesories Gloves for grip The purpose of gloves is to improve adhesion to the grip of the mallet. A lot of players like to wear gloves on both hands. Some don’t wear them at all. If you do, make sure to have more than one pair in your bag so that you can change them if they get sweaty.

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